[OP]
Contributor
Today did some work on gas lines, which meant WH had to be lit again. Noticed some heavy flaking off on bottom of tank, which tells me it's time for a new heater while I can replace it on my schedule. Current heater is a 6 year model from Lowes, which was installed in 1998. This means it has provided dependable hot water for the last 25 years. Not bad for a 6 year rated WH. Hope the next one lasts that long, which I won't. New one costs about twice what we paid for old one.
Contributor
Put in a tankless. You'll appreciate it.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Friend of the Creek
+1 on Tankless. Mine is 20 years old, and while it has a pre-filter and is back-flushed every couple years performs perfectly.
Regards,
Tom
Member
I won't have a tankless as the water has to travel to far from the heater before you get hot water at the tap. I have a circulating system.
Moderator
I can appreciate that. At our old property, we had two...one for the original house and one for the large addition. That solved the distance issue. But to your point, folks that already have a recirculating system are not the best candidates for a tankless system. But for a home that has NG and doesn't have distance issues, they are very efficient and have essentially "endless" hot water.Originally Posted by Jerome Stanek
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
Contributor
I represented Rinnai for 30 years. When replacing a water heater it is best to try to improve on the decisions of the original low cost bidder. the architect, builder and plumber placed little care on the location of a water heater as it pertains to your comfort, efficiency and water conservation which is a big deal here in the West. There is the furnace. There is the water heater. End of discussion. With the flow rates of new faucets/showers pretty heavily restricted and the pipe sizes used you can turn on the shower, go make coffee and maybe have hot water when you get back. First step is to get a complete water test done to see what you are dealing with. If you are in town the water board will send you the test results. I’m a fan of tankless and have had them for probably 25 yrs. Imo, the only brands to buy are Rinnai and Navien. With incentives the heat pump WH’s are worth a look in todays world. A dedicated recirc line is a plus if you need it. Tankless units with a built in circ are an excellent option if you need recirc. Anyway, take a whole house look at the situation when you do replace.
Contributor
That's great that your old water heater lasted for 25 years! That's much longer than the average lifespan of a water heater. It sounds like you got your money's worth out of it.
It's definitely a good idea to replace your water heater before it fails. If it leaks, it can cause a lot of damage to your home. It's also a good idea to replace your water heater if it's not energy efficient. Newer water heaters are much more efficient than older models, so you can save money on your energy bills.
... new water heater costs twice as much as the old ones. But it's important to remember that you're getting a new product with a longer lifespan. And, as you said, you won't have to replace it for another 25 years.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing a new water heater:
* The size of your water heater should be based on the number of people in your household and your hot water usage.
* You can choose between gas or electric water heaters. Gas water heaters are more efficient, but they can be more expensive to install. Electric water heaters are less expensive to install, but they're not as efficient.
* You can also choose between tankless and tank water heaters. Tankless water heaters are more efficient, but they're also more expensive to install.
Kindness Every Day......All Day
Contributor
Demand water heaters have their issues:
- Higher initial cost, double or more than standard WH.
- Higher installation cost, for both new installation and replacing a tank WH. Larger gas supply pipe, different vent.
- Need electricity to work- no hot water when the power is out.
- Don't work well at low flow rate.
- Need to be de-scaled at regular intervals- a plumber service call. Lack of service can lead to failure of heat exchanger & expensive repair possibly approaching the cost of the whole unit.
- Slightly longer time to get hot water at the tap as water flow triggers the unit to fire up.
- Possibly noisy.
IMO, a tankless WH is a good candidate when space is limited, in accessory dwellings with low use, and new installations with high demand. Replacing an existing tank with tankless would make sense maybe if you had a bunch of teenagers and ran out of hot water regularly but will always cost more in both short and long run.
Contributor
If you want to get long life out of a water heater mark the date you installed it and every 5 years replace the sacrificial anode. Most people ignore them and once they get used up the tank walls get attacked. They say 3 to 5 years and depending on your water you may need to do it more often. I can go more than 10 years before having to do it but for the price 5 years is just cheap insurance.
Contributor
De-scaling should not be a plumber call. I run vinegar through mine, which is what the manufacturer recommends. Takes about an hour once a year (and you don't have to stand next to it for that hour).
Also, mine fires up immediately so I never noticed any additional lag for hot water.
They are more expensive, both to purchase and to install, but they're cheaper to run. My gas bill went down after I installed a tankless. The reason is that you don't have to keep a large amount of water hot all the time, usually even overnight when everyone is asleep.
On the plus side, you never run out of hot water. Everyone I know who has installed a tankless says they'd never go back to a tank water heater.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
You don't have to keep the water warm while you are out of the house for the day working or whatever.The reason is that you don't have to keep a large amount of water hot all the time, usually even overnight when everyone is asleep.
On the plus side, you never run out of hot water. Everyone I know who has installed a tankless says they'd never go back to a tank water heater.
A friend of mine who loves his tankless water heater solved the low flow problem by having a small water heater (5 or 10 gallon) in the system.
He also installed a circulating system so he could press a button and have the circulating pump run for ~30 seconds to bring hot water to the furthest taps.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Moderator
If you have not priced the higher quality "standard" tank type water heaters recently, you're going to be shocked...the cost delta between them and condensing tankless (PVC venting) is a lot closer than it used to be.
--
The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...
[OP]
Contributor
Couple of items. First, I'm reinstalling a propane gas powered WH. Second, doesn't need electricity to run. Always a pleasure to have hot water during power outages. During hurricane Fran (1996) and an ice storm couple years later, neighbors took turns coming over and getting hot showers. Third, with a 40 gallon WH, we have NEVER run out of hot water, no matter how many are in the house. As for heat loss during storage, with my old (fiberglass insulated) WH, when we go out of town for several days, turn it back to just pilot. When we return and turn it back on, never has it come on due to heat loss. Only comes on when wife starts laundry. Longest run (except addition) is less than 20 feet from WH. Only problem I'm having now is Lowes dumb web site. Type in PROPANE, and they show me natural gas WHs. This means a trip to store to find out which stores stock propane water heaters. Due to availability of NG, most don't stock propane water heaters.
Contributor
We just had to replumb our house so while at it I had the water heater replaced too. We have had the tankless natural gas for quite a few years and I never fully liked it. It took a lot longer to get hot water at the faucet over the old tank heater. An unusual aspect was that when the water finally got hot it stayed hot for several minutes then often would be cold for about a minute. But after that the good thing was it was then hot for as long as you wanted. I replaced it with a 40 gallon tank natural gas heater and am much happier. We get hot water at the faucet much much faster now. I don't think I will ever try a tankless again.
Contributor
Yes, that's true, but there is still some added cost for tankless manifold, & maybe SS vent piping. I haven't seen condensing units- that sounds very efficient.
California is headed toward eliminating gas appliances, so maybe this will all be moot in a number of years.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote